About the Book

The Canadian Environment in Political Context is an introduction to environmental politics designed to explain and explore how environmental policy is made inside the Canadian political arena. The book begins with a brief synopsis of environmental quality across Canada before moving on to examine political institutions and policymaking, the history of environmentalism in Canada, and crucial issues including wildlife policy, pollution, climate change, Aboriginals and the environment, and Canada’s North. The book ends with a discussion of the environmental challenges and opportunities that Canada faces in the twenty-first century. Accessible and comprehensive, The Canadian Environment in Political Context is the ideal text for environmental politics and policy courses.

Policy Actors
Political Parties
Interest Groups
The Media
Citizen Experts
Citizens
The Policy Process
When a Model Is Only a Model
Actors and the Process
Policy Instruments and Tools
Defining Environmental Policy
Policymaking in the Provinces
Policymaking in the Territories
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 4. The History of Environmentalism in Canada

Natural History Pre-1867
National Parks
The Environmental Eras
Third Wave
End of the Third Wave and the Rise of the Green Party
Environmentalism and Ideology
Canadian Environmental Policy and Policy Tools
Environmental Policy under Conservative Party Leadership, 2006–15
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 5. The Conservation of Species at Risk

Why Care?
Federal Conservation of Wildlife
The Federal Government and the Species at Risk Act
Provinces and Species at Risk
The Role of Cities
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 6. Water, Air, and Chemical Pollution

The Politics of Water
Water Management
The Federal Government and Water
The Provinces and Water
Water Permits
Water Quality
Transprovincial Water
The Role of Cities in Water Policy
The Role of NGOs in Water Policy
The Role of Citizens in Water Policy
Air Pollution
The Federal Government and Air Pollution Policy
The Provinces and Air Pollution Policy
The Role of Cities
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Chemicals and Pollution
Federal Chemical Policy
The Provinces and Chemicals
The Role of Cities
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 7. The Politics and Policy of Land: From Agriculture to Forests to Cities

Agriculture Policy
The Federal Government and Agriculture
The Provinces and Agriculture
The Role of Cities
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Forestry Policy
The Federal Government and Forestry
The Provinces and Forestry
The Role of Cities
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Urban Land Policy
Provinces, Cities and Urban Land
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Urban Land Policy
Provinces, Cities, and Urban Land
The Role of NGOs
The Role of Citizens
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 8. Energy Policy and Climate Change

Canada’s Energy Needs
Energy Production and Consumption: Regionalism in Canada
Federal Energy Policy
The National Energy Board
Provincial Energy Policy and Politics
Climate Change and Energy Policy
Federal Climate Policy
Provincial Climate Policy
The Role of Cities in Climate Change Policy
The Role of NGOs in Climate and Energy Policy
The Role of Citizens in Climate and Energy Policy
Policy Options and Obstacles
Conclusion
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 9. Aboriginal People and the Environment

Who Are Aboriginals?
Demographics and Geography
Aboriginals and the Environment
Understanding Canada’s Aboriginal Law
Aboriginal Land and Environmental Policy Today
Pipelines
Water
Species at Risk
Conclusion
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Chapter 10. Politics and Policy in the North and Far North

What is the Arctic? Where is the Arctic?
“Discovery” and Sovereignty
American Influence on Canada’s Arctic
Laws in the Arctic
Aboriginal Co-Management of the North
The Arctic Council and Arctic Governance
Domestic Policy: Canada’s Northern Strategy
Energy politics in the North
The Mackenzie Gas Project
The Trans Alaska Pipeline and the Canada-Alaska Pipeline
The Northwest Passage
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings

Policy Evaluation
Looking Back and Evaluating
Looking Forward and Environmental Leadership
The Future of Climate Change: Domestic
The Future of Climate Change: International
A Fourth Wave of Environmentalism?
Our Future and Sustainable Development
Federalism and Canada’s Environment in the Twenty-First Century
Conclusions
Key Terms
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings